Juventus director distances himself ahead of imminent Napoli move

Juventus sporting director Giovanni Manna is reportedly distancing himself from the club’s affairs as he’s set to join Napoli next season.

The 35-year-old is considered amongst the most promising up-and-coming directors in Italian football. He was one of the architects behind the Juventus Next Gen project.

The Bianconeri then appointed him as the sporting director of the first team when Federico Giuntoli received a court suspension in January 2023.

Manna set the plans for the club’s last summer campaign, but then became the right-hand man of Juventus Football Director Federico Giuntoli.

But in recent weeks, Manna has been heavily linked with a move to Napoli at the of the season.

So according to La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese, the sporting director’s absence from last night’s Derby della Mole clash was no coincidence.

Posting on his X account, the Italian journalist believes that Manna has reached the end of his cycle at Juventus.

L’assenza al derby è un segnale chiaro: la #Juventus e Giovanni #Manna (che sarà il nuovo direttore sportivo del #Napoli) verso la separazione, intanto ha interrotto la sua operatività con la squadra.

— Giovanni Albanese (@GiovaAlbanese) April 14, 2024

The sporting director has thus decided to take a step back while awaiting the termination of his contract.

Therefore, Manna won’t be working for the club anymore, and rightly so, especially with the management currently planning for the summer transfer market.

He shouldn’t involved in the Bianconri’s affairs, since he will soon find himself serving a rival club.